7 Best Free TextExpander Alternatives

Get ready to speed things up! You no longer need to waste your time and energy typing out the same messages over and over again.

Text expander applications can help you get work done faster and more efficiently by using handy keyboard shortcuts to fill in phrases, dates, signatures, and more.

There are a lot of extensions and apps available for free that can automate your workflow. In this article, we’ll take a look at seven free TextExpander alternatives, with their pros and cons.

First on the list is Text Blaze. Now, you might have noticed that this is Text Blaze's blog, so it's safe to assume that we're a little biased. However, as our users will tell you, Text Blaze is truly a great text expander that helps people save hours of their time and be productive.

1. Text Blaze

Text Blaze helps you save time and increase consistency in your writing workflow by eliminating repetitive typing tasks.

You can save text snippets and insert them anywhere using keyboard shortcuts. Snippets can be plain text, but they can also include form fields, dynamic logic and integrations with other apps.

Pros

• Text Blaze is trusted by over 200,000 users and in our opinion, it’s the best free auto text expander out there.
• It’s free… and we mean free forever.
• You can easily import snippets from other apps.
• You can create form fields to fill in with names or other data to personalize the message.
• Dynamic formulas mean you can calculate values when using the snippet.
• Text Blaze allows you to collaborate with other members of your team on shared snippets.
• Text Blaze works wherever you are in your Chrome browser, whether it’s Gmail, Google Docs, Office 365, Salesforce, LinkedIn or any other site you use for work.
• You can use many of its unique features and get immediate value upon creating an account, all without a subscription.
• Text Blaze works on any website on Chrome, Windows, and Linux. (You can also use Text Blaze outside Chrome with the Text Blaze Windows app).

Cons

• Only available on the Chrome Web Store and on the Microsoft Store.

2. PhraseExpress

PhraseExpress is a text expander app for Windows. It’s available in both free and paid versions.

Pros

• PhraseExpress allows you to use dynamic phrases, as well as date and time stamps to personalize your messages.
• You can share snippets with other members of your team.
• It works across multiple platforms.

Cons

• If you want to access all of the features that PhraseExpress offers, you’ll need to sign up for the paid version.
• The PhraseExpress UI is not as user-friendly as other applications.

3. Magical (Formerly known as Auto Text Expander for Google Chrome)

Magical is another Chrome extension text expander that’s free and easy to use.

Pros

• Magical's UI is simple and easy to learn.
• It uses JSON format, which allows you to import and export shortcuts.

Cons

• Doesn't work on all websites (e.g. Google Docs)
• The features are pretty limited and basic – no dynamic fields except for date and time.

4. aText

aText is a text shortcut tool that accelerates your typing in any application by replacing abbreviations with frequently used phrases you define.

Pros

• aText doesn’t just let you add text to abbreviations, but also images and multimedia content.
• You can put your abbreviations into groups and subgroups.

Cons

• The interface is a bit complicated and might take a little getting used to.
• Some users have experienced interruptions where they have to restart the app for it to work.
• If you want access to all of the features of aText, you’ll need to download the paid version.

5. Keysmith

Keysmith records and replicates your actions on a Mac computer.

Pros

• Hotkeys within Keysmith don’t just expand text – they also replicate what you were doing with your mouse during recording.
• You can limit Keysmith to work only on specific websites.

Cons

• Keysmith is only available on Mac, and not Windows
• Expanding text doesn't include form fields or dynamic formulas.
• You only get five macros with the free version. If you want unlimited macros, you need to purchase the paid version.

6. Espanso

Espanso is code-based, open-source text expander for Mac, Windows and Linux.

Pros

• It’s open-source - improvements and new features are community-driven.
• Espanso is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux.

Cons

• Espanso shortcut creation is completely text-based and may be challenging for non-technical users, especially when including dynamic fields such as drop-down menus.

7. Beeftext

Beeftext is another open-source text substitution tool for windows.

Pros

• Beeftext can be used in any application in Windows that supports copy/pasting.
• It’s open-source, which ensures security and reliability.

Cons

• This app has no solutions for teams like some other text expander alternatives have.
• Only support plain text replacements, no dynamic content.
• It’s only compatible with Windows – sorry Mac users!

Conclusion

When repetitive typing tasks are a large part of your day, having a text expander app is a game-changer. Automating your commonly used phrases and messages is awesome because:

• It increases brand consistency in your messaging with customers and eliminates mistakes.
• It increases productivity by saving a lot of time.
• It increases profitability by allowing you to use that time you’ve saved on more important tasks. Finding a great auto text expander is key to your workflow running smoothly. We hope these reviews help you to find the best automation tool for your business.

If you still aren’t sold on any of these options, give Text Blaze a try. The only limits to what you can do with Text Blaze are the limits of your imagination. Easy-to-use templates with endless customizability and powerful automation.

Get Text Blaze today. It’s time to type better.

Want to turbo charge your work with templates and snippets? Text Blaze is the fastest way to do that.

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